I,  1912. 

.  S.  DEPARTMENT  OF  AGRICULTURE, 

OFFICE  OF  EXPERIMENT  STATIONS— FARMERS'  INSTITUTE  LECTURE  18. 
A.    C.    TRUE,    Director. 


SYLLABUS  OF  ILLUSTRATED  LECTURE 


ON 


THE   PEANUT: 

ITS  CULTURE  AND  USES. 


W.  R.  BEATTIE, 

Assistant  Horticulturist,  Bureau  of  Plant  Industry. 


WASHINGTON: 

GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFFICE. 

1912. 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATED  LECTURES. 

Farmt  lecture  1.  Illustrated  Lecture 

1  with  44  lantern  elides.  V.  Pearson.     Pp.  12.     1904. 

Farm-  Illustrated  Lecture  on  I  seasee 

and  Their  T  oied  with 

and  H.J.  E-: 
Fanners'  Institute  L  of  Illustr 

panied  with  5  Pp.  28.     1904. 

Farm* 

Feeding,  accompanied  with  45  lantern  slides.     By  F.  B.   Mumford.     Pp 

1905. 
Farmers'  Institute  Lecture  5.    Syllabus  of  Illustrated  Lecture  on  Silage  and  Sil 

struction  for  the  South,  accompanied  with  50  lantern  slides.     B> 

Pp.  31.     1905. 
Farmers'  Institute  Lecture  6.     Syllabus  of  Illustrated  Lecture  on  Essentials  ol 
Field  Experimentation,  accompanied  with  32  lanter 

Thome.     Pp.  24.     1905. 
Farmers'  Institute  Lecture  7.     Syllabus  of  Illustrated  Lecture  on  Road- 
Building,  accompanied  with  41  lantern  slides.     By  the  Office  of  Publi 
rtment  of  Agriculture.     Pp.  1C.     1907. 
Farmers'  Institute  Lecture  8.     Syllabus  of  Illustr.  ire  on  Farm  Ar 

accompanied  with  48  lantern  slides.     By  Elmina  T.  Wilson.     Pp.  19.     1! 
Farmers'  Institute  Lecture  9.    Syllabus  of  Illustrated  Lecture  on  T< 

accompanied  with  46  lantern  slid  Pp.  15.     1907. 

Farmers'  Institute  Lecture  10.     Syllabus  of  Illustrated  Lecture  on  the  Prodi 

and  Marketing  of  Eggs  and  F<  mpanied  with  44  lantern  ali 

James  Dryden,  Corvallis,  Oreg.     Pp.  20.     1909. 
Farmerr1  Institute  Lecture  11.     Syllabus  of  Illustrated  Lecture  on  .lture, 

accompanied  with  45  lantern  elides.     By  J.  I.  Schulte,  Office  of  Experi: 

Stations.     Pp.  22.     1910. 
Farm<  ite  Lecture  12.    Syllabus  of  III.  re  on  Farm  Homes, 

accompanied  with  53  lantern  slides.     By  John  Hami' 

Specialist,  Office  of  Experiment  Stations,  and  Geu  Philadelphia, 

Pa.     Pp.  25.     1912. 


1420  Issued  April  23,  1912, 

U.  S.  DEPARTMENT  OF  AGRICULTURE, 

OFFICE  OF  EXPERIMENT  STATIONS— FARMERS'  INSTITUTE  LECTURE  13. 

A.    C.    TRUE,     Director. 


SYLLABUS  OF  ILU  STRATED  LECTURE 

ON 

THE   PEANUT: 

ITS  CULTURE  AND  USES. 


BY 


W.  R.  BEATTIE, 

Assistant  Horticulturist,  Bureau  of  Plant  Industry. 


WASHINGTON: 

GOVERNMENT   PRINTING  OFFICE. 

1912. 


PREFATORY  NOTE. 


This  syllabus  of  a  lecture  upon  The  Peanut:  Its  Culture  and  Uses, 
by  W.  R.  Beattie,  assistant  horticulturist,  Bureau  of  Plant  Industry 
of  this  department,  was  prepared  in  cooperation  with  that  bureau, 
and  is  accompanied  by  50  views  illustrating  the  topic.  The  syllabus 
and  views  have  been  prepared  for  the  purpose  of  aiding  farmers' 
institute  lecturers  in  their  presentation  of  tins  subject  before  institute 
audiences. 

The  numbers  in  the  margins  of  the  pages  of  the  syllabus  refer  to 
similar  numbers  on  the  lantern  slides  and  to  their  legends  as  given  in 
the  Appendix. 

In  order  that  those  using  the  lecture  may  have  opportunity  to 
acquaint  themselves  with  the  subject  more  fully,  references  to  litera- 
ture are  given  in  the  Appendix. 


Recommended  for  publication. 
A.  C.  True,  Director. 

Publication  authorized, 
James  Wilson, 

Secretary  of  Agriculture. 

Washington,  D.  C,  August  18,  1911 

(3) 


John  Hamilton, 

Farmers'  Institute  Specialist. 


THE  PEANUT:  ITS  CULTURE  AND  USES. 


By  W.  R.  Beattie. 


INTRODUCTION. 

Very  little  is  known  regarding  the  early  history  of  the  pea- 
nut in  the  United  States  except  that  it  was  brought  into  the 
country  during  the  period  of  slave  importation  and  became 
established  along  the  James  Kiver  in  Virginia.  It  is  not  until 
after  the  Civil  War  that  we  find  any  record  of  peanuts  becom- 
ing a  commercial  crop,  and  then  only  on  a  small  scale.  Prior 
to  this  time  peanuts  were  grown  in  gardens  for  home  use,  and 
the  nuts  when  parched  were  considered  a  great  treat  by  the 
children.  Soon  the  value  of  peanuts  as  a  money  crop  was 
recognized  and  farmers  began  growing  an  acre  or  two  for  the 
market,  and  upon  this  beginning  has  been  built  an  industry 
that  represents  ten  or  twelve  millions  of  dollars  annually. 
During  the  early  days  of  the  peanut  industry  only  one  or  two 
varieties  were  recognized,  those  having  the  largest  pods  being 
known  as  " Virginians"  and  the  smaller  podded  sorts  as  "Afri- 
cans." Soon  the  farmers  observed  that  among  the  large-pod 
variety  there  were  certain  plants  that  were  of  a  more  compact 
or  bunch  habit  than  the  general  crop,  which  spread  or  ran 
upon  the  ground;  also  that  these  bunch  plants  produced 
larger  pods  than  the  runner  type.  Accordingly  the  two  sorts 
were  separated,  and  the  names  of  "Virginia  Bunch"  and 
" Virginia  Runner"  given  them. 

The  habits  of  the  peanut  render  it  especially  adapted  to 
cultivation  on  the  sandy  soils  throughout  the  Southern  States, 
and  the  wide  range  of  uses  to  which  it  may  be  put  makes  it  a 
desirable  addition  to  our  list  of  farm  crops.  During  past 
years  the  greater  part  of  the  commercial  peanut  crop  has  been 
produced  in  Virginia,  North  Carolina,  South  Carolina,  Georgia, 
and  Tennessee.  With  the  boll  weevil  injuring  the  cotton 
crop  of  the  Southwestern  States  the  peanut  promises  to  be- 
come an  important  money  crop  and  a  part  of  the  regular  farm 
rotation  of  this  section.  In  many  cases  the  peanut  has  proven 
fully  as  profitable  as  any  other  farm  crop.     The  production  of 

(5) 


View. 


View. 


peanuts  has  not  kept  pace  with  the  increased  demand,  and 
there  is  little  danger,  for  the  present  at  least,  of  overstocking 
the  market.  Spanish  peanuts  can  he  grown  for  2\  cents  a 
pound,  and  when  the  general  market  becomes  supplied  the 
oil  mills  can  handle  the  Burplus,  making  therefrom  one  of  the 

line-t   cooking  oils  that   can  he  produced.      The  cake  resulting 

from  the  manufacture  of  oil  i-  valuable  for  stock  feeding  and 

fertilizer.  There  is  always  the  opportunity  to  convert  pea- 
nuts into  pork  that  will  bring  fancy  juice-.  The  famous 
Smithfield  ham-  and  bacon,  which  sell  at  from  .'Id  to  40  Cents 
a  pound,  are  made  from  hogs  that  are  partly  fed  on  peanut-. 
All  kinds  of  live  stock  will  eat  and  thrive  on  peanuts  and 
peanut   hay. 

The  peanut  belongs  to  the  same  family  of  plants  as  do  the 
Clovers,   alfalfa,    bean-,   and   peas,    but    has   the   peculiar  habit 

of  developing  its  seed  underground  instead  of  on  top.  as  do 
most  of  the  legumes.  During  the  early  days  when  peanuts 
were  first  cultivated  it  was  thought  necessary  to  cover  the  blos- 
soms with  soil  in  order  to  secure  well-filled  pods.  It  is  only 
necessary,  however,  that  there  should  be  a  bed  of  loose  soil 
surrounding  the  plants  and  they  will  then  care  for  themselves. 
The  blossoms  of  the  peanut  appear  above  ground,  shooting 
out  from  where  the  leaf  joins  the  stem,  and  after  fertilization 
takes  place  the  flower  withers  and  the  little  stem  or  peg  elon- 
gates and  pushes  down  into  the  earth,  where  the  pod  develops. 
This  habit  of  the  peanut  has  an  important  bearing  upon  the 
production  of  the  crop  in  that  peanuts  should  be  planted  only 
upon  loose,  sandy  soils,  and  the  soil  must  be  well  cultivated 
and  loose  in  order  that  the  pegs  may  enter  the  soil  and  form 
pods. 

In  common  with  other  legumes  the  peanut  has  the  power, 
through  the  agency  of  bacteria  upon  its  roots,  to  draw  the 
nitrogen  from  the  air  and  not  only  use  it  for  its  own  growth 
but  to  store  it  for  the  use  of  other  plants  as  well.  An  illus- 
tration of  this  may  be  had  by  pulling  up  a  peanut  plant  and 
noting  the  immense  number  of  nitrogen-gathering  nodules 
upon  its  roots. 

THE  SOIL  AND  ITS  PREPARATION. 

Peanuts  thrive  best  on  a  rather  loose,  sandy  loam  soil,  such 
as  is  found  in  abundance  throughout  the  Southern  States. 
The  soil  should  be  well  drained,  or  what  is  ordinarilv  termed  a 
"warm"  soil.  Peanuts  can  be  grown  on  the  heavier  alluvial 
soils,  but  are  easier  to  cultivate  and  mature  better  on  the 


View. 

light,  sandy  loam  soils.  It  will  pay  to  prepare  the  land  for 
peanuts  in  a  most  thorough  manner,  and  much  of  the  diffi- 
culty in  keeping  the  crop  clean  will  be  avoided  by  harrowing 
or  disking  the  land  two  or  three  times  before  planting.  The 
Spanish  variety  may  be  grown  on  much  heavier  land  than 
the  Virginia  Bunch  or  Runner. 

CROP  ROTATION  IN  PEANUT  CULTURE. 

Peanuts  should  not  be  grown  exclusively  on  any  farm,  but 
in  rotation  with  other  crops.  Peanuts  are  adapted  to  grow- 
ing in  a  system  with  corn,  cowpeas,  oats,  cotton,  and  Irish 
potatoes,  the  cropping  arrangement  being  made  to  conform 
to  local  requirements.  The  crop  of  peanuts  should  invariably 
follow  some  crop  that  has  been  kept  cultivated  and  reason-  5 

ably  clean,  as  this  decreases  the  labor  required  to  keep  the  6 

weeds  under  control. 

When  fitting  land  for  peanuts  it  should  be  plowed  about  7 

the  same  depth  as  for  corn,  broadcast  plowing  being  preferable 
to  bedding.  If  the  land  has  been  in  corn  the  previous  season 
it  should  be  plowed  in  ample  time  to  allow  the  materials  that 
are  turned  under  to  thoroughly  decay  before  planting  time.  8 

Some  growers  prefer  to  bed  the  land  and  then  drag  down 
almost  level  before  planting,  but  on  the  whole  it  is  better  to 
keep  the  surface  smooth  and  then  work  the  soil  toward  the 
rows  in  cultivating. 

FERTILIZERS  REQUIRED  BY  PEANUTS. 

Commercial  fertilizers,  if  any  are  used,  should  be  applied 
about  the  time  the  land  is  given  its  last  harrowing  before  9 

planting.  A  crop  of  60  bushels  of  peanuts  will  require  about 
85  pounds  of  nitrogen,  15  pounds  of  phosphoric  acid,  32 
pounds  of  potash,  and  48  pounds  of  lime.  It  would  be  diffi- 
cult to  secure  a  fertilizer  that  would  supply  these  elements  in 
the  above  proportions;  in  fact,  it  would  not  be  profitable  to 
return  all  of  these  elements,  especially  the  nitrogen,  to  the 
soil  by  means  of  commercial  fertilizers.  A  fertilizer  containing 
about  2  per  cent  nitrogen,  8  per  cent  phosphoric  acid,  and  8  10 
per  cent  potash  is  recommended  for  peanuts,  and  this  may 
profitably  be  applied  at  the  rate  of  200  to  400  pounds  to  the 
acre.  This  will  add  the  necessary  phosphoric  acid  and  potash 
to  grow  a  crop,  but  only  a  small  part  of  the  nitrogen;  the 
remaining  nitrogen  can  be  secured  more  cheaply  through  11 
the  agency  of  cowpeas,  crimson  clover,  and  the  peanuts 
themselves  if  they  are  properly  handled.  12 


8 


t>  ■ 


Stable  manure  Lb  not  a  desirable  fertilizer  for  peanuts  unless 
applied  about  a  year  in  advance.  The  objections  to  manure 
are  that  it  carries  with  it  boo  many  weed  seeds  and  also  pro- 
duces a  tank  growth  of  peanut  vine  at  the  expense  of  the 
peanuts. 

Lime  is  essential  to  the  proper  ripening  of  the  peanuts,  and 
where  not  already  abundantly  present  should  be  applied  to  the 

13  soil.  Marl  is  often  used  as  a  substitute  for  lime,  being  hauled 
and  spread  upon  the  land  during  the  winter  months.  Ordinary 
lime  may  la4  used  at  the  rate  of  oOO  to  600  pounds  to  the  acre 
on  land  being  planted  to  peanuts.  In  many  cases  the  soils  of 
the  Southern  States  are  pretty  well  supplied  with  lime.  Where 
there  is  any  doubt  about  the  matter  lime  should  be  applied  to 
a  portion  of  the  field  at  least  and  its  influence  upon  the  yield 
and  ripening  of  the  peanuts  observed.  The  lime  should  be 
applied  to  the  surface  after  plowing  and  while  fitting  the  land 
for  planting. 

Wood  ashes  are  an* excellent  fertilizer  for  peanuts,  as  they 
contain  both  potash  and  lime.  Unfortunately,  the  supply  of 
wood  ashes  is  quite  limited  and  only  small  quantities  may  be 
secured.  Where  obtainable,  unleached  wood  ashes  may  be 
applied  to  peanut  land  at  a  rate  not  exceeding  1,200  pounds 
to  the  acre. 

Several  methods  are  followed  in  distributing  the  fertilizers 

14  for  peanuts,  and  while  some  growers  employ  a  one-horse  dis- 
tributer and  sow  the  fertilizer  where  the  row  is  to  be,  others 
scatter  it  broadcast  and  harrow  it  into  the  soil.  The  roots  of 
peanuts  do  not  spread  like  those  of  corn,  and  it  may  be  more 
economical  to  apply  the  fertilizers  to  the  row  rather  than 
broadcast. 

PLANTING  PEANUTS. 

SELECTION  OF  SEED. 

Careful  selection  of  seed  is  just  as  important  with  peanuts  as 

15  with  any  other  farm  or  garden  crop.  Our  best  varieties  have 
originated  by  selection,  and  it  stands  to  reason  that  they  may  he 
still  further  improved  by  the  same  process.  The  best  of  the 
crop  should  always  be  saved  for  seed,  and  wherever  a  particu- 
larly line  plant  is  found  it  should  be  saved  separately  and  the 

16  peas  planted  in  a  row  to  themselves,  or  in  a  small  patch  where 
they  can  be  closely  observed.  If  several  extra  fine  plants 
were  selected  and  the  peanuts  from  each  saved  separately, 
this  seed  might  la4  planted  in  a  special  seed  plat,  a  row  being 
devoted  to  the  product   of  each   plant;  in  this  way  compari- 


View. 

sons  may  be  made  from  time  to  time  and  the  beal  saved  for 
further  selection.  The  ideal  plant  should  not  only  produce 
a  large  number  of  pods,  hut  the  pods  should  be  well  filled,  uni- 
form in  size,  smool  li,  and  of  bright  color.  The  peas  t  heniselves 
should  be  plump,  bright,  uniform  in  shape,  and  well  filled. 
If  a  grower  does  not  have  a  good  strain  of  seed,  he  should 
purchase  from  someone  who  has  given  the  matter  attention; 
then  in  future  years  give  especial  care  to  the  matter  of  saving 
good  seed. 

PLANTING  SHELLED  OR  TJNSHELLED  PEANUTS. 

The  seed  of  the  large  varieties  of  peanuts  are  practically  all 
shelled  by  hand  for  planting.  In  the  case  of  the  Spanish  the 
peas  practically  fill  the  pods,  making  it  difficult  to  remove  the 
shell  by  hand.  The  machines  used  in  the  factories  for  shelling 
peanuts  break  the  peas  more  or  less,  and  even  when  the  peas 
are  not  broken  the  germination  is  often  injured  by  the  rough 
usage  in  shelling.  For  this  reason  it  has  been  found  safer  to  17 
plant  the  Spanish  peas  in  the  shell  almost  exclusively.  The 
shelled  peas  will  sprout  a  little  more  quickly  than  those  in  the 
shells,  but  a  few  days'  time  will  not  make  any  material  differ- 
ence. If  desirable,  the  pods  may  be  soaked  in  water  for  a 
few  hours  before  planting,  in  order  to  hasten  germination. 

PLANTING  MACHINERY. 

The  machines  now  upon  the  market  for  planting  peanuts  are 
constructed  somewhat  upon  the  plan  of  the  one-horse  cotton  18 
planter.  These  machines  are  well  adapted  to  planting  the 
shelled  peas,  both  of  the  large  and  small  varieties,  and,  if  the 
peas  are  clean  and  free  from  stems,  are  quite  satisfactory 
for  planting  the  Spanish  nuts  in  the  shells. 

In  using  the  one-horse  machines  the  land  is  first  laid  off  in  19 
rows  one  way  by  means  of  a  marker  similar  to  that  used  in 
laying  off  corn  rows.  The  planter  is  then  run  in  this  mark  and 
it  drops,  covers,  and  rolls  at  one  operation.  The  different 
distances  of  planting  are  regulated  by  changing  a  gear  wheel 
on  the  machine. 

PLANTING  BY  HAND. 

For  hand  dropping,  furrows  or  marks  are  made  with  a  sweep 
stock  or  single  shovel  just  a  little  in  advance  of  the  droppers 
to  prevent  drying  out.  The  seed  peanuts  are  hauled  to  the  20 
field  in  bags,  and  close-woven  baskets  of  about  half-bushel  size 
have  been  found  desirable  to  drop  from.  The  droppers  simply 
27724°— 12 2 


10 


take  a  small  handful  and  work  them  between  the  thumb  and 
first  finger,  at  the  same  time  stooping  slightly  in  order  to  drop 
the  pods  at  regular  distances.     Behind  the  droppers  the  seed 

is  covered   by   means  of  a  cultivator  having  tin1  center  teeth 

21        removed  and  a  notched  board  placed  across  the  rear  portion, 

the  notch  coming  directly  over  the  row.  The  horse  that 
draws  the  covering  cultivator  or  harrow  should  he  hitched 
with  a  side  draft  so  that  it  will  not  walk  directly  upon  the 
row. 

DISTANCES  TO  PLANT. 

The  planting  distances  will  depend  upon  the  variety  being 

grown;  also  upon  the  strength  of  the  land.  For  the  Virginia 
Bunch  variety  the  usual  distances  are  30  to  :>fj  inches  between 
the  rows  and  10  to  12  inches  in  the  row;  for  Virginia  Runners  the 
rows  are  placed  36  to  40  inches  apart  and  the  plants  12  to  10 
inches  apart  in  the  rows.  For  Spanish  and  other  similar 
varieties  the  rows  are  placed  from  32  to  :',s  inches  apart  and 
the  plants  8  to  12  inches  apart  in  the  rows. 

DEPTH  TO  COVER  THE  SEED. 

The  depth  to  cover  the  seed  will  depend  somewhat  upon  the 
compactness  of  the  soil.  If  the  soil  is  of  a  light  sandy  nature 
and  in  good  condition  the  seed  should  be  covered  about  an 
inch  deep.  Should  the  soil  at  planting  time  be  quite  dry  it 
will  be  desirable  to  cover  the  seed  at  least  \\  or  2  inches  to 
insure  germination. 

PROTECTION  OF  SEED  FROM  ENEMIES. 

After  planting,  seed  peanuts  are  often  molested  by  moles, 
crows,  and  pigeons;  blackbirds  are  also  accused  of  destroying 
the  young  plants  just  as  they  come  through  the  ground. 
For  the  protection  of  the  seed  in  the  shell  from  moles  it  is 
permissible  to  coat  the  shells  very  lightly  with  pine  tar  thin- 
ned with  kerosene.  It  would  hardly  be  permissible  to  coat 
the  shelled  see<l  with  tar,  although  a  few  peas  might  be  tarred 
and  mixed  in  with  the  regular  seed.  For  protection  against 
cro\vrs  stretch  lines  of  white  string  across  the  field;  also  scatter 
a  few  tarred  peas  over  the  surface  of  the  ground.  Pigeons  are 
perhaps  the  most  difficult  to  either  frighten  or  repel,  and  the 
use  of  a  shotgun  is  the  most  certain  remedy.  If  the  seed  are 
all  securely  covered  in  planting  there  will  not  be  so  great  danger 
of  crows  or  other  birds  getting  a  start  upon  them. 


11 

CULTIVATION. 
TOOLS  REQUIRED. 


View. 


The  tools  adapted  for  the  cultivation  of  peanuts  arc  prac- 
tically the  same  as  those  required  for  com.  Shortly  after 
planting  the  peanut  field  may  be  gone  over  once  or  twice  with 
a  weeder  of  the  King  or  I  hillock  type,  or  with  a  light  harrow, 
to  loosen  the  surface  and  destroy  weeds  that  are  starting.  In 
using  these  tools  very  little  attention  need  be  paid  to  the  rows; 
in  fact,  many  growers  prefer  to  go  directly  across  the  rows. 
Later,  after  the  plants  appear  and  the  rows  can  be  followed, 
one  or  two  teeth  can  be  removed  from  the  weeder,  and  this 
type  of  cultivation  continued  until  the  plants  arc  large  enough 
for  working  with  regular  corn  cultivators.  A  two-horse 
spring-tooth  riding  cultivator  is  one  of  the  best  implements  for 
handling  the  peanut  crop,  and  after  the  plants  attain  consid- 
erable size  the  spring  teeth  can  be  changed  for  the  regular 
shovel  teeth.  A  one-horse  cultivator  having  five  teeth  is  also 
an  excellent  implement,  as  the  size  of  the  shovels  can  be  22 
increased  as  the  crop  becomes  larger,  or  hillers  can  be  attached 
for  working  the  soil  toward  the  rows  of  plants. 

METHOD  OF  HANDLING  THE  CROP. 

Throughout  the  growing  of  a  crop  of  peanuts  it  should  be  the 
aim  to  keep  the  entire  surface  of  the  soil  fine  and  loose,  and  a 
bed  of  loose  soil  near  the  plants  in  which  the  pods  may  form. 
It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  add  that  the  crop  should  be  kept  free 
from  weeds.  At  the  final  cultivation  it  is  considered  a  good 
practice  to  throw  the  soil  well  toward  the  plants,  forming  a 
bed,  at  the  same  time  leaving  a  small  furrow  in  the  center  of  the 
alley  to  provide  drainage  in  case  of  heavy  rains.  It  is  not  neces- 
sary to  cover  the  blossoms  or  to  throw  soil  over  the  vines.  Some 
growers  follow  the  practice  of  rolling  the  peanuts  to  make  the 
pegs  go  into  the  ground  and  form  pods.  The  best  method  is 
to  provide  an  abundance  of  loose  earth  near  the  plants  and 
they  will  have  no  difficulty  in  plants  setting  pods.  Care  should 
be  taken,  however,  that  the  pegs  that  are  already  rooted  be 
not  disturbed  by  the  final  cultivation.  Hand  hoeing  may  be 
necessary,  especially  during  a  rainy  season,  when  the  grass 
grows  rapidly. 

HARVESTING. 

Peanuts  are  harvested  by  lifting  the  vines  from  the  ground 
with  the  pods  attached  and  then  stacking  them  around  small 
poles  to   cure.     Proper  harvesting   and   curing  is   the  most 


12 

Tttv 

important  part  of  the  handling  of  the  peanut  crop.  Many 
persons  who  arc  growing  peanuts  for  the  first  time  have  an 
idea  that  the  crop  may  be  handled  in  some  easier  and  cheaper 
way  than  by  stacking,  but  many  years  <»f  practice  has  shown 
that  stacking  around  poles  is  the  simplest  and  best  method. 
By  placing  the  vines  and  peas  in  the  small  Marks  they  are  per- 
mitted  to  dry  slowly  and   at    the  same  time  are  in  so  small 

quantity  that  they  will  not  become  musty. 

The  proper  time  for  harvesting  the  peanut  crop  is  indicated 
by  a  ripening  appearance  of  the  vines.  This  consists  <>f  a  slight 
yellowing  of  the  foliage  and  a  drooping  of  the  stems.  A  few- 
days  later  some  of  the  lower  Leaves  will  begin  to  fall,  especially 
if  the  weather  is  dry.  To  the  northern  limits  of  the  peanut 
territory  the  harvesting  should  he  clone  just  before  frost. 
Many  beginners  insist  upon  digging  their  peanut  crop  too 
early  and  before  the  peas  have  fully  matured.  It  is  true  that 
there  may  he  a  pod  now  and  then  which  bursts  and  sends  forth 
a  sprout,  hut  the  number  of  these  are  few  as  compared  with 
those  of  later  formation  which  are  rapidly  filling.  Where  good 
peanut  hay  is  especially  desirable  the  crop  should  he  harvested 
in  time  to  secure  the  hest  quality  of  vine  and  leaf. 

LIFTING  THE  PEANUTS  FROM  THE   SOIL. 

The  usual  custom  in  the  older  peanut  sections  has  been  to 
simply  run  a  plow  under  the  roots  and  lift  them  from  the 

23  ground.  Sometimes  a  specially  designed  plow  is  used  having  a 
share  or  point  with  a  broad  wing  to  extend  beneath  the  plants; 
in  other  cases  an  ordinary  plow  is  used,  hut  the  turning  or 

21  moldhoard  is  removed  to  prevent  the  furrow  being  turned,  the 
idea  being  to  simply  loosen  the  plants.  This  practice  of  plow- 
ing out  the  crop  lias  been  responsible  in  a  great  measure  for  the 
general  depletion  of  soil  fertility  throughout  the  peanut  belt. 
By  referring  to  our  illustration  showing  the  roots  of  the  peanut 

25  plant  with  their  great  load  of  nitrogen-gathering  bacteria,  we 
can  readily  understand  that  if  we  are  to  maintain  soil  fertility 
these  roots  must  he  left  in  the  soil.  By  the  old  method  of 
plowing  out  the  crop  almost  all  of  the  roots  are  removed,  and 
ss  they  have  not  subsequently  been  returned  to  the  soil,  deple- 
tion of  fertility  lias  been  the  result.  The  proper  method  is  to 
employ  a  tool  which  will  cut  off  the  greater  portion  of  the  root 
and  leave  it  in  the  soil.      1  u  several  sections  the  farmers  have 

2<>        had  special  tools  made  for  running  under  the  peanut  vines,  and 

27        some  of  these  are  worthy  of  more  general  use. 


13 

MACHINES  FOR  DIGGING  PEANUTS. 


Vk 


Some  of  the  regular  machine  potato  diggers  have  been 
found  quite  satisfactory  for  harvesting  peanuts,  but  as  a  rule  28 
these  implements  have  not  sufficient  clearance  to  allow  a 
heavy  growth  of  peanut  vines  to  pass  through.  At  present 
very  much  larger  machines  are  being  perfected  and  especially  29 
adapted  to  the  work  in  the  peanut  fields.  The  machine  or 
elevator  potato  diggers  require  about  four  strong  mules  to  pull 
them,  but  may  be  so  regulated  that  the  sharp  point  of  the 
digger  will  cut  off  the  roots  just  below  where  the  peanuts  are 
formed,  carry  the  vines  with  the  peas  attached  up  and  over  the 
elevator  device,  and  deliver  them  on  the  ground  behind  the 
machine  with  practically  all  of  the  soil  shaken  from  them.  An 
outfit  of  this  kind  will  dig  from  8  to  12  acres  daily  and  require 
about  20  hands  to  stack  the  vines  behind  it.  In  land  that  is 
weedy  there  is  always  difficulty  in  harvesting  the  crop,  regard- 
less of  the  kind  of  implement  used  for  digging. 

METHOD  OF  STACKING  PEANUTS  TO  CURE. 

As  already  mentioned,  the  proper  method  of  curing  peanuts 
is  to  stack  them,  vines  and  all,  around  stakes  set  in  the  field 
where  the  crop  is  grown.  Before  starting  to  harvest  the  crop  30 
provide  the  small  poles  to  be  used  as  stakes  around  which  to 
stack  the  peanuts.  These  stakes  should  be  7  feet  in  length  by 
about  3  or  4  inches  in  diameter,  and  may  be  either  split  out  of 
large  logs  or  simply  small  saplings  with  the  bark  upon  them. 
From  12  to  35  of  these  poles  will  be  required  for  each  acre, 
according  to  the  stand  and  growth  of  vine;  the  rule,  however, 
is  about  22  stacks  to  the  acre.  Have  the  poles  hauled  and  piled 
where  they  can  be  conveniently  distributed  through  the  peanut 
field  when  the  rush  of  harvesting  comes  on. 

As  a  rule  11,  13,  or  15  rows  of  peanuts  are  placed  in  a  single 
row  of  stacks.  The  digging  machine  is  started  in  the  center, 
on  the  row  where  the  stacks  are  to  stand,  and  is  worked  out- 
ward until  the  necessary  number  of  rows  are  lifted.  After 
the  machine  has  gained  sufficient  headway  the  poles  are  dis- 
tributed at  distances  varying  from  12  to  20  paces  and  set  in  the 
ground  by  means  of  a  pointed  bar,  a  peg  and  maid,  or  by  a  port- 
hole digger,  and  tamped  in  place.  The  stake  should  be  set  int«  i 
the  soil  sufficiently  deep  to  prevent  the  stack  blowing  over. 
On  the  other  hand,  they  should  not  be  set  so  deeply  as  to  pre- 
vent their  being  easily  lifted  with  the  stack  at  thrashing 
time. 


r 


14 


Peanuts  should  not  be  handled  when  there  is  dew  or  rain 
upon  the  foliage,  but,  aside  from  this,  they  may  be  stacked 
within  an  hour  or  two  after  digging.      Before  starting  to  build 

the  stack  nail  a  couple  of  Bhorl  piece-  of  Lath  at  right   an 

across  the  -take  about  8  inches  from  the  ground,  then  simply 
3J        build  the  stack  upon  these,  keeping  the  pea-  or  root-  cl 

around  the  pole  and  giving  the  outer  part  of  the  -tack  a  down- 
.'5*J        ward  slope  to  carry  off  the  water  during  rains.     As  the  stack 

i-  Hearing  completion  it  should  be  kept  higher  in  the  center 

and  drawn  in  to  a  point .  If  convenient,  the  top  of  the  -tack 
may  be  finished  with  a  bundle  of  dry  grass,  or  a  few  peanut 
vine-  may  simply  be  rolled  together  and  pressed  down  over 
the  top  of  the  pole.  Wet  or  green  hay  should  never  be  placed 
:>;>  on  top  of  the  stack.  When  completed,  the  -tack  should  be 
)i         about  6  feet  in  height  and  'M)  inches  in  diameter. 

LENGTH  OF  TIME  THAT  PEANUTS   SHOULD  REMAIN  IN 
THE    STACKS. 

Once  the  peanut  vines  are  in  the  stacks  they  will  be  com- 
paratively safe  for  5  or  6  weeks,  or  until  they  are  dry  enough 
to  pick  from  the  vines.  As  a  rule  the  curing  period  will  require 
at  least  4  weeks,  and  if  the  peas  are  not  molested  by  birds, 
field  mice,  rats,  or  thieves  they  may  remain  in  the  stacks  for 
3  or  4  months  without  injury.  The  crop  will  not  be  ready 
to  pick  from  the  vines  until  the  stems  have  become  brittle 
and  the  peas  have  attained  a  nutty  flavor. 

PICKING  PEANUTS  FROM  THE  VINES. 

Formerly  peanuts  w7ere  all  picked  from  the  vines  by  hand, 
the  work  being  done  largely  by  negro  women  and  children. 
Recently  there  have  been  developed  several  machines  for 
35  doing  this  work.  These  peanut-picking  machines  are  of  two 
types,  one  having  a  cylinder  like  the  ordinary  grain  thrasher. 
and  in  the  other  a  picking  mesh  of  diagonally  woven  wire  is 
employed. 

PEANUT-PICKING  MACHINERY. 

The  essentials  of  a  satisfactory  peanut-picking  machine  are. 

first,   that    the   pods  should   be   picked   clean  from  the  vines 

without  breaking  or  cracking  the  shells,  and.  second,  that  the 

•'5ti  peanuts  be  cleaned  of  all  the  coarser  dill  and  separated  from 

37        the  pieces  of  Btems.     There  is  always  a  small  quantity  of  very 

line  diit   adhering  to  the  hulls  of  the  peanut   which  must  be 


15 

separated  from  them  in  the  cleaning  factory.     The  greatest        38 
objection  to  the  work  of  peanut  thrashers  in  the  past  Is  that 
they  broke  too  many  of  the  shells,  in  many  cases  breaking 
the    kernels    as    well    and    rendering    them    unsalable.     This         :><) 
breaking  of  the  shells  is  a  more  serious  damage  than  might 
appear  at  first  thought,  as  the  keeping  qualities  of  the  nuts 
depend  upon  their  not  becoming  broken.     There  are  a  number        40 
of  insects  which  attack  peanuts  while  in  storage,  especially 
during  the  summer  months,  and  these  can  not  injure  the  kern- 
els unless  the  shell  is  cracked  or  broken.  41 

The  picking  of  peanuts  is  paid  for  at  so  much  per  bag  of 
about  4  bushels,  35  cents  a  bag  being  the  ruling  price.  In 
some  sections  the  owners  of  the  picking  machines  do  the 
work  for  every  tenth  bag,  or  where  they  provide  a  baling 
machine  and  press  the  peanut  hay  into  bales  they  take  every 
eighth  bag,  but  none  of  the  hay.  Hand  picking  is  paid  for  at 
the  rate  of  from  40  to  50  cents  a  hundred  pounds. 

SACKING     AND    HANDLING     PEANUTS     AFTER     PICKING. 

As  the  peanuts  come  from  the  picker  they  are  placed  in  42 
sacks  and  either  hauled  direct  to  the  cars  or  stored  for  later 
delivery.  The  standard  peanut  bag  is  about  the  same  as  the 
ordinary  5-bushel  oat  bag,  and  holds  about  4  bushels,  90  or 
92  pounds  of  Virginias  and  110  to  120  of  Spanish.  As  the 
bags  are  filled  they  are  sewed  and  tied  at  the  corners  to  facili- 
tate handling.  If  the  peanuts  are  not  to  be  sold  immediately, 
they  are  often  taken  from  the  bags  and  stored  in  bins  or  in 
slatted  cribs  where  they  will  get  air.  The  storage  room 
should  be  proof  against  rats  and  mice. 

The  peanut  vines,  if  properly  cared  for  after  the  removal  of 
the  peas,  make  an  excellent  hay.  The  best  plan  is  to  have  a 
baling  press  working  while  the  thrashing  or  picking  is  being 
done  and  press  the  vines  into  moderate-size  bales. 

The  peanut-picking  machines  break  the  hay  considerably, 
but  by  careful  handling  in  baling  the  leaves  and  stems  can  be 
worked  into  the  bales  together  in  the  proper  proportions.  The 
feeding  value  of  peanut  hay  renders  it  worth  while  to  take 
special  precautions  in  curing  and  handling  it.  One  important 
point  in  curing  peanut  hay  is  to  get  the  vines  into  the  small 
stacks  soon  after  digging  them;  also  to  avoid  having  the  hay 
become  wet  by  rains. 


1G 
VARIETIES  OF  PEANUTS. 


At  present  about  five  varieties  of  peanuts  are  grown  in  the 
I  faited  States,  these  being  know  d  as  Virginia  Runner,  Virginia 
48        Bunch, African  (or  North  Carolina  i, Spanish, and  Valencia, com- 
monly known  as  Tennessee  Red.    The  Virginia  Runner  and 

1  1  Bunch  produce  peas  that  arc  practically  alike,  these  being   the 

Jumbo  or  parching  peanuts  of  our  markets.  The  African,  or 
North  Carolina,  as  it  has  come  to  be  called  in  this  country,  hi 
spreading  \  ine  and  produces  a  medium-size  pea,  which  is  used 
for  shelling  purposes  and  for  the  smaller  grades  of  parching  stock. 
The  Spanish  variety  is  the  small  peanut,  with  only  two  peas 
in  a  pod,  which  is  used  so  extensively  for  the  manufacture  of 
15  Baited  peanuts,  peanut  butter,  etc.  The  Spanish  has  an  upright 
or  bunch  habit  of  growth,  with  the  peanuts  clustered  about 
the  base  of  the  plant.  The  Valencia,  or  Tennessee  Red 
variety,  has  rather  large  and  sometimes  very  long  pods,  with 
anywhere  from  two  to  seven  small  red  peas  crowded  together 
in  the  pods.  The  Valencia  is  in  demand  for  use  in  the  manu- 
facture of  malted  peanuts  and  peanut  butter.  A  form  of  the 
Valencia  known  as  Georgia  Red  or  Red  Spanish  is  extensively 
grown  for  hog  and  cattle  feeding  in  parts  of  the  Southern 
States.  However,  this  variety  is  not  desirable  for  the  market. 
For  the  present,  the  true  Spanish,  or  white  Spanish  as  it  is 
sometimes  called,  is  the  proper  variety  to  grow  throughout  the 
Southwestern  States,  as  it  is  easy  of  cultivation  and  contains 
a  high  percentage  of  oil. 

MARKETING  OF  PEANUTS. 

The  peanuts  as  they  come  from  the  picking  machine  on  the 
farm  are  generally  bagged,  and  either  hauled  direct  to  the  cars 
or  stored  for  a  short  time  in  barns  or  sheds  until  they  can  be 
shipped.  It  should  be  the  aim  of  every  grower  to  have  his 
crop  go  into  the  bags  in  just  as  clean  a  condition  as  possible, 
free  from  stones,  sticks,  dirt,  and  pieces  of  stems.  Where  the 
peanuts  are  not  properly  cleaned  the  buyers  are  compelled  to 
dock  the  weights,  and  this  always  results  in  dissatisfaction  to 
both  parties.  If  the  peas  are  not  clean  as  they  come  from  the 
thrasher  they  should  be  run  through  a  fanning  mill  to  blow  out 
the  dirt,  and  afterwards  picked  over  by  hand  if  necessary. 
Peanuts  are  comparatively  light  to  handle  and  can  be  trans- 
Hi  ported  considerable  distances,  and  it  is  not  necessary  to  have 
a  factory  in  every  section  where  peanuts  are  grown.  As  a  rule 
the  buyers  from  the  factories  come  to  the  various  shipping 


17 

View. 

points  to  inspect,  purchase,  and  load  the  peanuts  into  cars  as 
they  are  hauled  in  by  the  farmers.  Another  method  is  where 
the  factory  is  represented  in  a  town  by  a  merchant  who  buys 
the  peanuts  from  the  farmers  and  stores  them  until  wanted  for 
shipment  to  the  factory. 

WEIGHT  OF  PEANUTS. 

The  unit  in  handling  peanuts  is  the  pound  rather  than  the 
bushel  or  bag.  The  large  Virginia  peanuts  weigh  about  22 
pounds  to  the  measured  bushel,  while  the  Spanish  weigh  about 
30  pounds  to  the  bushel.  Two  and  one-half  cents  a  pound  for 
farmers'  stock  would  mean  about  75  cents  a  bushel  for  Spanish, 
while  3J  cents  a  pound,  or  77  cents  a  bushel,  would  be  the 
ruling  price  for  Virginias.  By  using  the  pound  as  the  unit  in 
buying  and  selling  peanuts  the  troublesome  question  of  weight 
per  bushel  will  be  avoided.  Peanuts  grown  in  one  section  may 
weigh  more  to  the  bushel  than  those  grown  in  another  or  even 
an  adjoining  territory. 

THE  CLEANING  FACTORY  PROCESS. 

In  the  factory  the  peanuts  are  fanned  and  polished  to  remove 
the  dirt,  and  are  separated  into  a  number  of  different  grades.  47 
During  the  process  they  are  all  carefully  picked  over  by  hand 
and  cleaned  until  the  finished  products  would  scarcely  be 
recognized  as  coming  from  the  rough  stock  that  was  shipped 
in  by  the  farmer.  All  of  the  shelled  or  broken  peas  must  be 
separated  from  the  whole  ones  and  worked  into  shelled  stock 
of  various  grades. 

In  the  factories  where  the  Spanish  are  handled  the  process 
is  not  so  complicated,  yet  even  here  there  is  the  same  careful 
hand  picking  to  remove  inferior  peas  and  refuse  not  taken  out 
by  the  cleaning  machinery.  The  peas  are  passed  over  a  fan, 
then  are  shelled  and  the  hulls  blown  out.  Next  the  peas  are 
run  through  a  machine  which  separates  the  split  or  broken 
peas  from  the  whole  ones.  The  different  grades  are  then  run 
on  what  are  termed  picking  belts  beside  which  a  large  number 
of  women  are  seated  and  pick  out  every  inferior  pea  or  particle 
of  foreign  matter.  The  refuse  from  a  peanut  factory  often 
contains  practically  every  waste  or  cast-off  article  that  may 
be  found  on  a  farm.  After  the  cleaning  process  is  completed 
the  peanuts  are  bagged  in  clean,  new  burlap  bags  and  marked 
with  a  stencil  showing  the  brand,  grade,  and  name  of  the 
cleaner. 


18 
USES  OF  PEANUTS. 
USES  OF  PEANUTS  AS  FOOD. 


Peanuts  now  find  usee  in  a  great  many  way-  aside  from 
being  roasted  and  sold  in  packages.  There  is  a  great  and 
ever-increasing  demand  for  peanuts  to  be  used  in  the  prep- 
aration  of  Baited    peanut-,  peanut    butter,   peanut  candies, 

peanut  Hour,  and  vegetarian  meat  substitutes.  Owing  to 
the  high  nutritive  properties  of  peanuts  they  are  rapidly 
assuming  an  important  place  as  a  standard  human  food,  rank- 
ing in  this  respect  with  other  legumes  which  they  resemble  in 
composition.  The  consumption  of  peanut  butter  alone 
amounts  t<>  hundreds  of  carloads  of  the  product  annually. 

PRODUCTION  OF  OIL  FROM  PEANUTS. 

In  France  and  Germany  millions  of  bushels  of  peanut 
annually  crushed  for  oil.  the  oil  being  used  for  cooking,  for 
salad  making,  and  in  the  place  of  butter,  while  the  cake 
resulting  from  the  manufacture  of  the  oil  is  used  as  stock 
food.  In  this  country  we  have  many  oil  mills  that  are  either 
idle  or  running  on  short  time  on  account  of  the  shortage  of 
cottonseed,  and  it  is  only  a  matter  of  a  little  time  until  our 
production  of  peanuts  will  enable  us  to  build  up  a  great  in- 
dustry in  the  manufacture  of  peanut  oil.  In  general  the  oil 
from  the  peanut  has  the  same  culinary  and  table  uses  as  olive 
oil,  cottonseed  oil,  and  some  other  vegetable  oils,  and,  like 
them,  is  considered  a  wholesome  and  valuable  food  product. 
Thirty  pounds,  or  a  bushel,  of  Spanish  peanut s  will  yield 
1  gallon  of  oil  and  about  20  pounds  of  cake.  A  gallon  of 
this  oil  is  worth  75  cents  wholesale  and  the  cake  is  worth  1J 
cents  a  pound,  or  2.5  cents,  making  a  total  of  SI  from  a  bushel, 
from  which  the  working  cost  must  be  taken.  Assuming  that 
an  average  of  40  bushels  of  Spanish  peanuts  can  be  grown  to 
an  acre,  we  have  a  very  promising  proposition  in  the  manu- 
facture of  peanut  oil,  especially  when  the  peanut  hay  will 
almost  pay  the  cost  of  growing  the  crop. 

VALUE  OF  PEANUTS  AS  STOCK  FOOD. 

48  All  of  the  inferior  or  refuse  peanuts  can  be  used  to  advantage 

on  the  farm  for  feeding  to  hogs  and  also  to  the  general  farm 
animals.     There  is  not  a  pound  of  the  entire  peanut  crop, 

li>  including  roots,  stems,   leaves,   and  peas,  but  that  has  some 

value,  and  not  an  ounce  should  be  wasted.     The  tops  when 


19 


used  as  hay  have  a  feeding  value  equal  to  the  best  clover, 
alfalfa,  and  cowpea  hays;  in  fact,  peanut  hay  is  one  of  the 
best  of  dairy  feeds  for  milk  production.  As  a  result  of  the 
handling  of  peanuts  in  the  cleaning  factories  there  are  quan- 
tities of  finely  broken  and  shriveled  peas  that  are  sold  for  hog 
feed,  and  sometimes  ground  into  meal  and  sold  for  feeding  to 
cows.  The  cake  resulting  from  the  manufacture  of  peanut 
oil  is  equal  to  the  best  cottonseed  meal  for  feeding  purposes. 

COST  OF  GROWING  PEANUTS  AND  RETURNS. 

The  total  average  cost  of  growing  an  acre  of  peanuts  in  the 
Southern  States  is  about  $12  where  no  commercial  fertilizers 
are  used.  Add  to  this  the  cost  of  200  to  300  pounds  of  ferti- 
lizer and  the  total  will  not  exceed  $16  an  acre.  On  a  block  of 
land  consisting  of  54  acres  in  northern  Louisiana  during  the 
season  of  1910  the  itemized  cost  per  acre  of  production  was  as 
follows:  Plowing  and  fitting  the  land,  seed,  and  planting, 
$5.35;  cultivation,  $2.80;  harvesting  and  stacking,  including 
the  cutting  and  hauling  of  poles,  $3.87;  thrashing  and  hauling 
to  car,  $4.80;  bags  and  twine,  $1.05;  total  cost,  $17.87.  This 
land  produced  an  average  yield  of  60  bushels  to  an  acre  and 
1  ton  of  hay.  The  peanuts  sold  for  $1  a  bushel  of  30  pounds 
and  the  hay  for  $12  a  ton,  making  a  total  return  of  $72  an 
acre.  Deducting  the  cost  of  growing,  which  included  the 
foreman's  time,  the  grower  received  a  net  return  of  about  $54 
an  acre,  or  $2,916  from  the  54  acres. 

Doubtless  a  great  many  more  peanuts  will  be  grown  in  the 
future  than  in  the  past,  but  the  demand  is  also  increasing  and 
there  is  money  to  be  made  so  long  as  the  price  for  Spanish 
peanuts  remains  above  2\  cents  a  pound  for  farmer's  stock. 
There  is  great  interest  in  hog  raising  throughout  the  Southern 
States,  and  peanuts  are  a  valuable  adjunct  to  corn  for  the  pro- 
duction of  high-grade  hams  and  bacon. 


View 


APPENDIX. 


LANTERN  SLIDES. 

No.  of 
view. 

1.  General  view  of  peanut  field  about  the  middle  of  summer. 

2.  Map  of  United  States,  darkened  portion  indicating  the  area  naturally  adapted 

to  the  growing  of  peanuts. 

3.  Portion  of  peanut  plant,  showing  the  flower  and  the  little  pegs  that  enter  the 

soil  and  form  the  pods. 

4.  The  peanut's  way  of  showing  its  gratitude  to  the  soil. 

Roots  of  peanut  plant  covered  with  nitrogen-gathering  nodules. 

5.  Crop  rotation  plan  for  a  peanut  farm  in  the  Virginia-Carolina  district. 

6.  Crop  rotation  plan  for  growing  peanuts  in  southern  districts. 

7.  Type  of  disk  plow  adapted  to  fitting  loose  sandy  lands  for  peanuts. 

8.  Acme  harrow,  a  type  of  tool  adapted  for  preparing  the  soil  for  peanuts. 

9.  Showing  the  quantity  of  plant  food  removed  where  the  entire  root  system  of 

the  peanut  is  taken  from  the  soil. 
By  proper  methods  of  harvesting  the  greater  portion  of  this  nitrogen,  which  amounts  to  $16 
an  acre,  will  be  left  in  the  soil. 

10.  On  soils  containing  an  abundance  of  potash  this  portion  of  the  fertilizer  can  be 

eliminated. 

11.  Soil  improvement. 

Field  of  corn  without  the  addition  of  cowpeas 

12.  Soil  improvement. 

Field  of  corn  with  cowpeas  growing  in  the  rows.    A  suitable  cropping  system  to  be  followed 
the  year  preceding  peanuts. 

13.  Manure  spreader  used  for  scattering  lime  on  peanut  field. 

14.  One-horse  fertilizer  drill  used  for  sowing  fertilizer  for  peanuts. 

The  ordinary  cotton  fertilizer  drill  can  also  be  used  for  this  purpose. 

15.  Improvement  of  peanut  varieties  by  seed  selection. 

Rows  of  peanuts  planted  from  the  product  of  individual  plants. 

16.  Improvement  of  peanut  varieties  by  seed  selection. 

Weeding  out  unproductive  plants  in  the  seed  patch. 

17.  Scene  in  a  Virginia  peanut  field  during  planting  time. 

18.  View  of  one-horse  peanut  planter. 

19.  Peanut-planting  machine  in  operation. 

20.  Dropping  peanuts  by  hand  in  a  small  furrow  opened  by  a  single-shovel  plow. 

21.  Covering  peanuts  with  a  one-horse  cultivator  after  dropping  them  by  hand. 

22.  Five-tooth,  one-horse  cultivator  adapted  to  all  phases  of  peanut  cultivation. 

23.  Old  method  of  harvesting  peanuts  by  plowing  them  from  the  soil. 

24.  Plow  type  of  peanut  digger. 

25.  Roots  of  peanut  plant. 

In  digging,  the  roots  should  be  cut  at  a  point  that  will  leave  the  major  portion  of  the  root  system 
in  the  soil. 

(21) 


22 

No.  of 
\  tM  • 

(A  good  type  of  peanut  digger. 
Gtorgb  itOOk,  underneath  which  Ls  mounted  a  U-shaped  bar,  which  is  so  arranged  that  it  will 
i  ut  oil  the  roots  of  the  peas  and  lift  the  plants  from  the  ground.    The  cost  of  this  machine  is 
about  $».. 

88«     Machine  potato  digger  adapted  for  ^%B?wg  peanuts. 
29,     Machine  potato  digger  being  used  for  digging  peanuts 

80.  Stacking  peanute  to  cure. 

Stake  around  which  to  build  stack. 

81.  Stacking  peanuts  to  cure. 

The  stack  partially  constructed,  with  one  layer  of  vines  around  the  pole,  all  of  the  peas  to  the 
enter,  and  the  stack  high  in  the  middie. 

'\-2.    Stacking  peanuts. 

Showing  the  various  operations  from  the  carrying  of  the  vines  with  the  seed  fork,  the  beginning 
of  the  stack,  and  the  finishing  of  the  stack,  together  with  completed  stacks  in  the  background. 

33,  A  poorly  built  peanut  stack,  with  a  large  number  of  the  peanuts  exposed  to  the 

weather  and  the  ravages  of  birds. 

34.  A  properly  1  milt  peanut  stack,  with  all  of  the  peas  to  the  center. 
85,     Picking  peanuts  by  hand  in  a  Virginia  peanut  field. 

36.  Picking  peanuts  from  the  vines  by  means  of  machinery. 

37.  Another  type  of  peanut  picker. 

38.  Peanut  picker  fitted  for  driving  with  horsepower. 

This  machine  is  also  made  for  applied  or  engine  power. 

39.  Common  type  of  peanut  picker  used  for  picking  Spanish  peanuts. 

40.  Device  installed  in  some  of  the  peanut-picking  machines  f<>r  the  removal  of  the 

little  stems  from  the  pod-. 
This  consists  of  a  set  of  gin  saws  operated  between  horizontal  iron  bars. 

41.  One-horse  device  sometimes  used  for  hauling  peanut  stacks  to  the  thrasher. 

42.  Type  of  bag  used  for  handling  peanuts. 

This  bag  holds  approximately  4  bushels  or  about  90  pounds  of  the  Jumbo  or  Virginia  peas,  or 
110  to  120  of  the  Spanish  peas. 

43.  Three  leading  types  of  peanuts. 

44.  Plant  and  nuts  of  the  Virginia  Bunch  or  Jumbo  pea. 

45.  Plant  and  nuts  of  the  Spanish. 

46.  Marketing  of  peanuts. 

Great  quantities  of  peanuts  are  handled  during  the  shipping  season  in  the  Virginia-Carolina 
district.    Steamer  loaded  with  bags  of  peanuts. 

47.  A  modern  peanut  warehouse  and  cleaning  factory. 

48.  Value  of  peanut  hay  as  compared  with  other  hays. 

49.  Value  of  peanut  waste  products. 

This  includes  small  or  broken  parts  of  kernels  ami  peanut  meal  as  compared  with  cottonseed 
meal,  corn  meal,  and  wheat  bran. 

50.  Peanuts  planted  in  the  alleys  between  rows  of  corn. 

This  is  a  practice  often  followed  in  Georgia,  where  many  thousands  of  acres  of  peanuts  are 
grown  in  this  way,  the  corn  rows  being  about  5  feet  apart  and  the  peanuts  planted  in  a  small 
bed  in  the  center  at  the  time  of  laying  by  the  corn.  The  crop  is  sometimes  harvested,  but 
more  often  fe<l  to  the  hogs  in  the  field. 


REFERENCES. 

1.  Origin  of  Cultivated  Plants.    DeCandolle. 

2    Experiments  with  Peanute   etc.).    Arkansas  Sta.  BuL  68. 

3.  Peanuts.     Arkansas  Sta.  Bui.  84. 

4.  The  Peanut  and  Its  Culture.    By  W.  X.  Roper,  Petersburg,  Va.,  1905. 

5.  Southern  Field  Crops.    By  J.  F.  Duggar.    New  York,  1911. 


23 

6.  The  Peanut.     U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  Farmers'  Bill.  431. 

7.  The  Picking  and  Handling  of  Peanuts.     U.  8.  Dept.  Agr.,  Bureau  of  Plant  Indus- 

try Circ.  88. 

8.  Bailey's  Cyclopedia  of  American  Agriculture,  Vol.  II. 

9.  Peanuts.     Mississippi  Sta.  Bui.  130. 

10.  Feeds  Supplementary  to  Corn  for  Southern  Pork  Production.     Alabama  Sta. 

Bui.  143. 

11.  Peanuts.     Louisiana  State  Board  of  Agr.  and  Immigration  Special  Bui.  1908. 

12.  The  Peanut  Plant:  Its  Cultivation  and  Uses.     By  B.  W.  Jones,  New  York,  1885. 

13.  Pork  Production  Experiments  and  Hog  Ranching.     Arkansas  Sta.  Bui.  73. 

14.  The  Indian-meal  Moth  and  Weevil-cut  Peanuts.     U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  Bureau  of 

Entomology  Circ.  142. 

15.  Peas,  Beans,  and  Other  Legumes  as  Food.     U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  Farmers'  Bui.  121. 

16.  Nuts  and  Their  Uses  as  Food.     U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  Farmers'  Bui.  332. 


ADDITIONAL  COPIES  o f  this  publication 
-£*-  may  be  procured  from  the  Superintend- 
ent of  Documents,  Government  Printing 
Office,  Washington,  D.  C. ,  at  5  cents  per  copy 


